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An unsatisfactory resolution to Fine-Gallagher murders

Barring some unexpected future revelation — say a newly discovered letter from Stefan Martin-Urban — we will probably never know why Martin-Urban shot and killed Grand Junction dentist Terry Fine and retired teacher Flo Gallagher as they prepared for a trip with their spouses Linda Fine and Mike Gallagher last autumn.

The Grand Junction Police Department formally closed the investigation into the Oct. 11 murders on Friday.

Martin-Urban killed himself 45 minutes after the murders. He left no notes or journal or anything else that offered a clue to the reason for the murders.

With the aid of the FBI, Grand Junction police investigators determined that Martin-Urban, who had recently moved to Denver, acted alone and chose his victims at random.

But why he acted as he did likely will remain a mystery forever, regardless of how long the investigation were to continue. That makes the loss suffered by the victims’ loved ones all that more difficult to bear.